Category Archives: Wine Education

2011/12/09 · 1:51 am

Put a Little Sparkle in Your Holiday! Top Value Sparkling Wine Picks Paired With Lobster Stuffed Gougeres

franciacorta at berlucchiMany people think of sparkling wines as pricey, luxury wines reserved for special occasions. According to a study done by the Wine Institute  of California sparkling wine only accounted for 4.6% of total wine consumption in the USA in 2010, most of which was drank between November and New Years Eve. I find this horrible news!  For me sparkling wines make a wonderful start to any evening. Their bubbles lift my spirits at the end of a long day. They pair with many foods. Their lively effervescence cleanses the palate between bites of rich dishes or salty snacks. They dress up that take out carton of Thai food or sushi. Hell, I’ve even found them to be the perfect pairing with potato chips!

Although I love French Vintage Champagne I often turn to other wines that are a bit more pocket friendly. In todays wine market there are more than a few  interesting alternatives made in the same method as traditional Champagne, with second fermentation taking place in bottle. Consider cremant, the bubbly made outside the region of Champagne. It’s French. It’s bubbly. It’s composed of high-quality handpicked grapes. It’s vinified in the same painstaking traditional way that Champagne is. And it’s delicious!

In the South of France, Languedoc-Roussillon is home to yet another French sparkling wine, Blanquette De Limoux. A heady, rich structured wine with an interesting story.  Local wine historians believe that the world’s first sparkling wine was produced in this region in 1531 by the monks at the abbey in Saint-Hillaire, way before Champagne. Thomas Jefferson a connoisseur of French wine was known to have more than a few bottles of this value sparkling in his cellar.

From other regions of the world, Spain’s sparkler Cava is wonderfully earthy and unique. Sekt, the sparkling wine of Germany and Austria is often racy and elegant while Italy’s Franciacorta is fashionably taut and well balanced. The USA is also producing some tasty examples in the East, West and a few spots in between.

Cellars in Franciacorte

Below are just a few of my best picks priced from $15 – $40, vinified in the same method as traditional Champagne and great finds. I’ve also shared one of my favorite recipes for pairing with many sparkling wines, gougeres with lobster salad. Enjoy!

Gruet Brut NV, New Mexico, USA- Brilliant with ultra fine bubbles. A wonderful fine bouquet dominated by green apple and grapefruit flavors. A true classic! Once a sommeliers secret this sparkling made by a French wine family in the USA is a great value.

Blanquette De Limoux Brut, Esprit du Sud, NV, Languedoc, France- Racy, marked by its terroir in a typical taste of herbs and botanicals, in its maturity it expresses notes of honey from acacia trees. Well structured in the mouth but staying unctuous. The finish is fresh and elegant.

Raventos Brut Cava L’Hereu, 08, Spain- A very mineral driven, clearly delineated, chiseled sparkling wine that is truly first rate.  When you taste this wine, you will see why some of Spain’s best michelin three stars such as El Bulli and Arzak continue to feature this terrific cava.

Bellavista Franciacorte Special Cuvee DOCG, Italy- Simply beautiful. White peaches, jasmine, minerals, ash and grapefruit are some of the aromas and flavors that come together in this sharp, focused Franciacorta. This is a superb example of Italy’s best reasonably priced methode Champenoise wine.

Roederer L’Ermitage, California, USA- Like baked apples in a buttery crust with a dusting of fresh vanilla bean, yummy. What more can I say? It’s great!

Clotilde Davenne Crémant de Bourgogne, NV, Silver Label, Burgundy, France- Tons of wet stone and mineral with a crisp lingering finish. This wine is completely dry with no sugar added to dosage. So good with shellfish, either raw or steamed served with butter.

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Gougeres Recipe

warm, crispy gougeres

Makes about thirty bite-sized puffs

Two things to keep in mind when making these. One is that you should have all the ingredients ready to go before you start. Don’t let the water and butter boil away while you grate the cheese. Otherwise you’ll lose too much of the water. Second is to let the batter cool for a few minutes before adding the eggs so you don’t ‘cook’ them. Make sure when you stir in the eggs that you do it vigorously, and without stopping. I’m not a fan of extra clean up, but the intrepid can put the dough in a food processor or use an electric mixer to add and mix the eggs in quickly.

If you don’t have a pastry bag with a plain tip, you can put the dough into a freezer bag, snip off a corner, and use that. Or simply use two spoons to portion and drop the dough onto the baking sheet. This recipe can easily be doubled.

1/2 cup water

3 tablespoons butter, salted or unsalted, cut into cubes

1/4 teaspoon salt

big pinch of white pepper

1/2 cup flour

2 large eggs

3/4 cup grated cheese, Gruyère or Comte

1. Preheat the oven to 425F , Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.

2. Heat the water, butter, salt, and pepper in a saucepan until the butter is melted.

3. Dump in the flour all at once and stir vigorously until the mixture pulls away from the sides into a smooth ball. Remove from heat and let rest two minutes.

4. Add the eggs, one at a time, stirring quickly to make sure the eggs don’t ‘cook.’ The batter will first appear lumpy, but after a minute or so, it will smooth out. (You can transfer the mixture to a bowl before adding to eggs to cool the dough, or do this step in a food processor or electric mixer, if you wish.)

5. Add about 3/4s of the grated cheese and the chives, and stir until well-mixed.

6. Scrape the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a wide plain tip and pipe the dough into mounds, evenly spaced apart, making each about the size of a small cherry tomato.

7. Top each puff with a bit of the remaining cheese, then pop the baking sheet in the oven.

8. Bake for 10 minutes, then turn the oven down to 375F and bake for an additional 20 to 25 minutes, until they’re completely golden brown.

For extra-crispy puffs, five minutes before they’re done, poke the side of each puff with a sharp knife to release the steam, and return to the oven to finish baking.

Serving: The puffs are best served warm, and if making them in advance, you can simply pipe the gougères on baking sheets and cook right before your guests arrive, or reheat the baked cheese puffs in a low oven for 5-10 minutes before serving. Some folks like to fill them, or split them and sandwich a slice of dry-aged ham in there, I love them with lobster salad w/ tarragon! See below for recipe,it  can also be served on mini toasted roll for a lobster slider.

A bit of troubleshooting: The most common problem folks have with pâte à choux, or cream puff dough, is deflated puffs. The usual causes are too much liquid (eggs), or under baking. Make sure to use large eggs, not extra-large or jumbo, and use a dry, aged cheese, if possible. Also bake the puffs until they’re completely browned up the sides so they don’t sink when cooling. If yours do deflate, that’s fine. I actually think the funky-looking ones have a lot of charm and are fine for stuffing if you are a perfectionist!

 

Lobster Salad for Sliders

Luscious Lobster Slider with melted butter sauce

Ingredients

2- 1 & 1/4 lb cooked lobsters

1 dozen crusty mini rolls or 2 dozen gougeres

1 stick celery (finely  diced

) 1/2 cup mayonnaise, you may add more if you like a moister salad (I make my own, but PLEASE use Helmann’s if not making it.)

¼ cup chopped fresh tarragon (You could also use dill.)

2 twists black pepper, 2 pinch salt

1 pinch cayenne pepper

Lemon wedges for  serving

Instructions

1. Place the lobster in  boiling, salted water until  the shells turn from grey to pink, which indicates they are cooked. This usually  takes around 10 minutes.

2. Remove the meat from the shells by cracking the  shells lengthwise with a pair of sharp kitchen scissors or a seafood cracker. The shell should then  peel easily from the lobster meat.

3. Cut the meat into ¼ inch chunks and  allow to cool. 4. While the lobster is cooling, split the rolls and  spread thinly with butter inside and out.

5. Heat a large  frying pan and toast the buttered buns on each side.

6. Mix the mayonnaise  with the tarragon.

7. In a large bowl, combine the lobster meat, the herb mayonnaise and the celery.

8. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

9.  Assemble on bread or puffs and serve with lemon wedges.

As an  alternative to mayonnaise and celery, you can simply toss the lobster meat,  while still warm, in melted butter, season  with salt, pepper, a squeeze of lemon, old bay seasoning to taste and then serve in the toasted buns.

Have a wonderful time with your friends and family in the next few weeks!

Cheers,

Wendy

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2011/11/11 · 3:57 am

A tale of Italian food and wine, past and present, recipe for frico with Potatoes!

You’ve got to hand it to the Italians, they know how to entertain. One of my first foodie memories is visiting my Uncle’s Italian family for Sunday dinner. I watched in amazement as his sisters tirelessly prepared yards of fresh pasta, paper thin fried eggplant, giant trays of misto and a main course of rabbit for scores of friends and relatives. The adults washed down our feast with glasses of homemade wine (each family had their own barrel) or Chianti poured from the straw covered bottles so popular in the 60′s, I was even allowed a sip or two on this special occasion. I loved this dinner! The wonderful aromas of our meal together coupled with after dinner tales and laughter put a smile on my face. The warmth and welcoming nature of these people was infectious! Dinner with other branches of my family paled in comparison. How could I ever tolerate days of bland funky meatloaf, simple roast beef or only milk with my meal ever again? Thankfully we did visit my uncle’s family again but not often enough for my adolescent curiosity into this foreign culture.

This year I had the opportunity to tour the wine region of Friuli Venezia Giulia on a post trip with the EWBC. Looking forward to discovering first hand the people, wine and food culture I couldn’t help but to think of my Uncle’s family and all of the fond memories of my first glimpse into Italian cuisine and wine. I had been to Italy before but remember little else but the dreamy eyes of a young artist I fell madly in love with on my first visit, not even an Italian. I wondered, would I fall in love again? After all a single gal can dream can’t she? Well I did fall but for the amazing wine, food and people of Friuli in addition to one unusual red wine and a cheesy potato dish that’s a decedent guilty pleasure!

My first day in Friuli was packed with vineyard visits. Before dinner I had the opportunity to taste some additional wines with several vintners. This special intimate tasting was set up in a walk around format with each winemaker only showcasing 2 to 3 wines. I found myself drawn to the reds made from the rare red grape Schioppettino very interesting. Schioppettino, also known as Ribolla Nera is one of the most interesting red varietals of the Friuli wine world. This indigenous grape has a fascinating history, changing from local criminal to indie rock star in a little over 40 years. At one time Schioppettino was virtually extinct, less than one hundred vines remained. Two factors lead to its near demise, disease in the form of phylloxera and favor of international varieties such as Cabernet and Merlot. Such was the demand for international varieties that this indigenous grape was almost abandoned. Planting Schioppettino was banned as it was classified as an illegal varietal. In 1978 a European Union decree authorized its cultivation in the province of Udine that saved Schioppettino from an untimely death. Today it is still planted in limited quantities around the villages of Prepotto and Albana, considered to be it’s elective home. Hopefully this grape has a bright future as it makes a delicious perfumed, medium-bodied red with a hint of spice and the capacity to age. The best examples I tasted possessed an edgy feminine side with a heady perfume, a bit of a naughty vixen of a wine. It can also have a bit of an acidic pop on the finish that makes it an excellent food friendly find. Schioppettino literally translates to “little crack” for the sound it makes upon opening.

My two favorites where poured by 2 very different men. Fabvio Bressen’s Schioppettino had a bit more of a pronounced presence to it, not unlike the man who produces it. I really liked the bit fuller, earthy taste and length that would make this a perfect wine with everything from the cheesy, crispy, regional specialty Frico to a variety of pastas made with meat ragu or roasted veggies. Fabvio welcomed our group with open arms telling me why he loved bloggers. He explained his take on online wine writers/bloggers was he liked the honesty of you like it or you don’t, enough said, with no pressure from large clients or a point system.

My other favorite was from Borgo Conventi. This wine had subtle aromas of violet with a silky mouth feel. The young man representing this estate owned by Ruffino in Collio Goriziano was thrilled to have representatives from so many countries tasting his wines. As I talked with him he was very happy to share his passion for the region and how much he was looking forward to hosting us at a dinner the following evening. Given a choice of numerous wines at his estate I chose his Schioppettino to pair with my dinner..

With my love of cheese I was curious about this regional dish called Frico. Prepared either as just a crispy cheese wafer or pancake style with potatoes it’s delicious! The crispy wafer type is available always with the potato version reserved for colder months. Worth searching out if you can find it, so good! Here’s my recipe formulated after a bit of trail and error, damn good if you care to give it a whirl!
Cheese and Potato Frico- Serves 4 for an appetizer or meal with salad and bread

1/2 pound Montasio or Grana Padano Cheese coarsely grated
2 medium baking potatoes, scrubbed clean
2 ounces Coach Farm or other mild fresh goat cheese, crumbled
1/2 small onion sliced thin and chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 scallions sliced into small pieces
pinch kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper

Directions-

Boil potatoes in their skins till just fork tender, drain, chill in fridge or cold water. Peel and slice into thin rounds. Set aside to further cool.
Saute onions in olive oil till translucent in non stick skillet, add potatoes, salt, pepper and saute with onion till they begin to brown. Remove to shallow bowl and mix in goat cheese crumbles, be careful not to mix to well,  just till loosely incorporated.
Sprinkle half of shredded cheese into bottom of skillet on medium heat and top with potatoes mixture pressing down to form flat disk.
Push potatoes down into cheese with a spatula and look for browning on edges. As cheese melts and browns it will give off some oil. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and cook for around 5 minutes watching that it doesn’t get too brown. Shake and slide pan to prevent sticking (much like making popcorn)
Slide onto plate and inverert or flip uncooked side into skillet from plate. Brown till golden and slide onto platter to serve, garnish with sliced scallion.

Note- It took me a few flips to reach desired crispness, have patience it turns out crazy good!

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2011/11/03 · 7:31 pm

The Carso, They’ve got the stones to produce great wine and cheese…………

I’ve always been drawn to people that push the limit. Those that instead of choosing a more conventional  way seek out a path that can be rocky, not easily traveled but worth it in the end. Call them trail blazers, mavericks, risk takers or just plain lunatics most that chose this path have the stones to go where others too timid only dream of. They tend to have the heart and passion to craft great works of art, amazing cuisine or some other creative endeavor sharing a piece of themselves with the world. The small village of Prepotto in the Carso region is home to more than a few of these creative thinkers.

The families Skerk and Kante are comprised of people that not only battle the average problems of day to day vineyard work but happen to be located in a part of the world that planting and cultivating a vineyard is to say the least  incredibly challenging. The Carso, a small region located between the border of Slovenia and the Adriatic sea  is known not only for it’s ruggedly beautiful limestone stone cliffs, fierce winds called the  Bora (northern to north-eastern strong winds that rage through the vineyard), but also very imaginative, driven people producing fabulous wine.

Soil- The Carso is basically a land without a soil, there is limestone subsoil, but little topsoil. To create a vineyard, deeper soils have traditionally been dug up from near Trieste and trucked in, enough to provide about 80 centimeters depth of red earth. It can take up to 1,000 truckloads per hectare to form a vineyard; this should provide a bit of  contemplation for those who wants to argue about terroir being defined by the soil of an individual site. This red, iron-rich reclaimed soil  lends the wines a characteristic acidity and mineral notes.  This is how it has been done in the Carso for generations and once a vineyard is set soil amendments are rare. Paperwork for this daunting task can take up to 5 years according to Goran the nephew of Edi Kante who guided our group in the vineyards and cellars of his uncle’s estate in the village of Prepotto.

Cellars- The wine cellars of  Carso are truly some of the most magnificent and imaginative I’ve ever seen! Edi Kante’s fabulous cellar reminded me more of the lair of some evil super villain than a place to make and age wine. Kante created  a cellar deep underground with 3 different rooms, three different temperatures, three different humidity’s and all containing the ideal conditions for the wines to be aged and matured in a natural condition. That translates to 18 meters below the surface of the earth, solid limestone with walls that are cold like a refrigerator and housing  approximately 70,000 bottles.

 Edi’s own colorful artwork that appear on the labels of his wine also adorn the walls of the cellar at every turn.



Skerk’s cellar created by winemaker Sandi Skerk, (an engineer by trade) is also a sight to behold. Formed by cutting through the limestone with diamond studded cables its smooth walls are interspersed with traces of old vine growth and natural pockets of cavernous grottoes. A small grate on the floor covers a hole that according to Sandi was at least 100 feet deep. They had gone down that far before coming back up but felt breeze from further below. I couldn’t help thinking of the secret shaft in the book “ Journey to the Center of the Earth” by science fiction author Jules Verne. Just how far down did it go? Was there an alternate wine universe down there?

Varietals- The vineyards of the Carso are planted with a variety of grapes including Pinot Grigio, Malvasia and Sauvignon Blanc but the two indigenous varietals that seem to be the soul of the region are a white called Vitovska, a crossing of  Malvasia Bianca Lunga and Prosecco Tonda and Terrano a red that comes from the Refosco Istriano family. Vitovska is a thicker skinned variety that can withstand cold winters, summer draughts and the strong winds of the Bora. Terrano is thought to be a local health tonic for it’s high levels of  iron, minerals, anthocyans, anti oxidants and lower alcohol content as well as it’s ability to pair well with a number of local foods.

Wines- At Kante we started our tasting with their signature sparkling KK Brut, NV made from a blend of Chardonnay and Malvasia. Although I liked the clean fresh flavors with notes of fennel and herbs my research on return to NYC puts the price of this around $50 dollars, not exactly an impulse purchase for me these days.

Next Kante’s Vitovska 2009 with hints of sage and fresh citrus fruit cried out for a plate of raw clams or poached shrimp. The Malvasia Istriana 2009′s mouth filling orange blossom and hazelnut notes reminded me a bit of Viognier but I really enjoyed it when paired with the local cheeses offered at our tasting.

The shining star for me was the barrel fermented La Bora di Kante 2001 Chardonnay. Hints of banana’s foster, baked apple and a lacy minerality wafted up from my glass. Scoring a bottle of this I drank it my last evening in Italy, sadly it is not readily available in the US.

At Sandi Skerk‘s his ramato or orange style wine was my favorite. Called Ograde it is a blend of Vitovska, Malvasia, Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc. The Pinot Grigio macerated on it skins is what gives the wine its distinct color. The grapes that are used to make Ograge are harvested, destemmed and placed in open barrels for 15 days, during which time fermentation occurs with the wine in contact the skins. Sandi punches them down by hand and then presses the grapes and transfers the wine into 550L Tonneau barrels. The wine remains there until next harvest, when it is racked, blended and placed in stainless steel until the following spring when it is bottled.

Sandi also offered us barrel samples of his tasty Vitovska and Malvasia. These grapes are left to ferment for about 15 days uncovered, then the barrels are covered and the wine is left on its skins for 3 months in 20-25L barrels. The wine is then pressed and returned to the same barrel where is rests till the next harvest and under goes the same treatment as the Ograde.

Spelunking for Cheese and the Tradition of Osmice -

Many local farms and vineyards open their doors to offer not only wine but cheeses, olive oil and other food products produced locally. This tradition is known as osmice, a word stemming from the Slovene word for 8, osem. In the past the establishments participating where open for 8 days a few times a year. Today in Carso this may extend to 10 days or more at different times throughout the year. Small roadside signs adorned with ivy branches point to these locations but a local map is available online.

At Kante we where served an array of locally produced meats and incredible artisan cheeses that where very different from others I had been served on my Italian adventure. When I asked about them I learned that not only where they all cows milk but a few where aged in a very unusual way.

Cheesemaker Dario Zidaric’s Jamar cheese was my favorite with a nutty, buttery yet earthy taste finishing with slight notes of pineapple.

Dario’s 90 cows produce 700 liters a day of unpasteurized organic milk (resulting in 150 lbs, of cheese). He makes eight or nine different styles of cheese from the regional specialty Montasio to to the wildly delicious Jamar  that are sold both locally and in restaurants in Austria, Italy and Switzerland.

What is so different about Dario and how he ages his cheese? His aging cave is not a fancy temperature/humidity controlled walk in fridge or even a cellar, it’s actually a cavern deep in the earth. Dario’s Jamar spends four months ripening in this very damp, very dark cave 250 feet underground. Now I’ve been in many cheese caves but I’ve never had to suit up in anything other than a hair net and sterile booties. This cave requires wearing serious mountain climbing gear, you don’t walk down, you drop down, in full spelunking or potholing gear. Dario does this once a week, taking 100 fresh, 10-lb cheeses with him and bringing a similar number of aged cheeses back up from their makeshift shelving. I wish I had the opportunity to see this but maybe next visit!

Note: I would like to thank Gabriella, Ryan and Robert the minds behind the EWBC and the Consortium of Carso Winemakers for making this visit possible.





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2011/10/25 · 6:28 pm

Highlights from a world wind of sight, smell and taste- EWBC 2011

Recently back from the EWBC 2011 conference held this year in Brescia, Italy I am still stunned and overwhelmed with the wealth of interesting information I acquired. For me besides the actual conference the day spent in Alto Adige and my 3 day jaunt in Fruili Venezia Giulia where both unforgettable and eye opening experiences. In the next few months I will be posting on my favorite experiences and vineyard visits after I sort out the boatload of notes, pictures and informational print I collected along my journey. First up will be Terlan in Alto Adige famous for it’s long lived white wines.

The local cheeses and meats served at most every meal cannot be overlooked. At the closing dinner in Brescia a beautiful selection of cheeses where presented to enjoy with the premier Italian sparkler of the region, Franciacorta. My favorite was the Sottocenere a semi firm cow’s milk cheese from Veneto. It was so different from what is available in NY, infinitely better and complex with a denser, drier paste. The ashen rind covering the tomme was mixed with cinnamon, liquorice, nutmeg, coriander and fennel with a white truffle oil rub. The rich fragrant off white paste inside is sparsely studded with black truffles.

As for the meats the San Daniele ham from Friuli was insanely tasty! Cured to perfection it had a smooth silky texture and just the correct amount of salty flavor. The real secret of this local treasure is the micro-climate in the area of San Daniele, resulting from the meeting between the fresh air currents from the Alps and the humid currents from the Adriatic. San Daniele ham has been protected by the Italian Government since 1970 and is recognized as a P.O.D. product (Protected Origin Denomination) by the European Union. I wished I had some truffle honey or Croatian fig jam to drizzle on top.  For my dinner revisited post that I do whenever I travel I will feature both this and a selection of cheeses with a boar ragu along with wine pairings.

 Last but not least the BYOB  held on opening night is something that after last year I looked forward to as a top highlight and chance to visit with friends from last years EWBC held in Austria. As this event grows in size with each passing year I know this will get more difficult to organize but I hope this will always be a tradition.

An ocean of wine from Italy, Germany, France, Spain, Turkey, Sweden, Poland, Russia, America and other regions far and wide where tasted and discussed by participants from over 30 countries. I’m always on the look out for different varietals and this kick off gathering enabled me to not only be able to taste a vast array of wines but also to hear the story behind it or it’s connection to the individual who shared it with others. While I can’t say I loved every wine it was an opportunity for each person to explain the reason behind their choice and do a bit of story telling which was the focus of this years EWBC. Besides the usual suspects (international varietals) I tasted a dizzying selection of grapes many with names I could barely attempt to pronounce before the tasting began. Aged wines also had a presence, I was lucky enough to sample a German TBA from Weingut Muller Catoir that was nothing short of golden nectar. The chance to meet and taste with so many different people that share your interest in wine is truly an experience that is unparalleled.

I’m looking forward to telling my own stories, sharing my travels with others and doing some further research into the vintners I found to be so unique and passionate. Many posts to follow…..

Cheers!

Wendy

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2011/10/02 · 7:24 pm

Romantic Dreams of Pinot Noir, Inman Family Pinot Noir 07- Russian River/Sonoma County





When it comes to red wine Pinot Noir is to me the temptress that appears every year in the early fall begging to be sought after and enjoyed with everything from golden sunsets to my first coq au vin of the season . From my first taste of a great French Burgundy I was hooked by this grapes silky, sexy, sensuous taste and earthy lingering finish. I started trying every old and new world Pinot Noir I could find more times than not preferring the old world style even though my true loves meant I may be eating ramen noodles for a week.  Years later I worked at a vineyard once owned by an artist/writer that was also a chevalier at the Clos De Vougoet in the 60′s. I would look at his work depicting life in Burgundy and daydream about what it must have been like to experience the wines he brought to life with such passion in words and pictures. When I had the opportunity to visit Burgundy I felt I was in a heady daze from all of the fabulous scents and flavors of each village and vineyard. I spent 2 weeks of bliss traveling and tasting wondering how I would ever get over my Burgundy Jones when I got back home.

Back in the states I started trying different Pinot Noirs from California, Oregon and New York. I found some stellar examples and started building a place in my collection for some of these American gems. One night at a Women in Wine event I met winemaker Kathleen Inman of Inman Family Wines over a glass at the bar before the event. She shared a bit of her story and later her delicious Pinot Noir made at the Olivet Grange vineyard in the Russian River Valley of California. I was charmed by her incredible wine, down to earth personality and obvious passion for her craft. Try as I might it was hard to find her wines at the time in NY and I savored the few bottles I had acquired.

A few weeks ago I was excited to hear Kathleen would be pouring her wines at Appellation Wine Shop near my weekend tasting classes on 10th ave. Not only did her Pinot Noir and Gris surpass my memory but she also is now producing a wonderful Chardonnay. I walked out very happy with a few bottles of her 07 Pinot Noir Russian River Valley sourced from 2 sustainable vineyards in Sonoma County. Full of flower petals, tea and a light smoke on the nose it had a long slightly earthy finish touched with bright cherry and minerals.

Upon further research of this wine I learned about the Inman families careful attention to keeping their winemaking as natural as possible with measures taken not only in the vineyard and cellar but down to printing labels using recycled paper and water based ink. They also have a very romantic wine story of their own. Kathleen met her husband Simon who was visiting the states on her first day of a summer job at a Napa Valley winery. Shortly after Simon wrote a letter to the vintner asking if he could also pass along a note he had written to his pretty blond assistant. Two years later Kathleen and Simon where married and settled in England where they continued to taste and visit various European vineyards. Nearly twenty years later they both left their jobs to purchase a small farm in the Russian River Valley and pursue a life long passion for wine. In 2000 they planted 13,000 vines of  Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris starting the Olivet Grange Vineyard. Great story of romance and wine!

The legendary Julia Child has perhaps the best recipe for coq au vin I’ve ever tried. Get a few bottles of Inman’s fabulous Pinot Noir and try this famous French dish  http://whatscookingamerica.net/Poultry/CoqAuVin.htm

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